Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
North American box art
Developer(s)	Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Takeshi Ando Yukio Morimoto
Producer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto Kenji Miki
Composer(s)	Kenichi Nishimaki Masanobu Matsunaga Minako Hamano
Series	Mario Kart
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance, 3DS Virtual Console
Release date(s)	JP July 21, 2001 NA August 11, 2001 EU September 14, 2001 AUS September 13, 2001
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: G CERO: A ESRB: E

Mario Kart: Super Circuit, known in Japan as Mario Kart Advance (マリオカートアドバンス, Mario Kāto Adobansu^?), is a racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. It was the first Mario Kart released on a handheld game system; in 2005, a second handheld Mario Kart game titled Mario Kart DS was released. It is the first Mario Kart game not to be developed by Nintendo EAD; instead, it was developed by Nintendo's Intelligent Systems division.^[1]

Super Circuit combines features from earlier Mario Kart games (Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64). In particular, it features the gameplay mechanics of the latter title and tracks from the former game. In the game, eight racers take to the tracks and race for first place.

This game was well-received by reviewers after release.

Gameplay

As was the case with its predecessors, Super Circuit is a circuit racing game. In it, the player races against seven opponents, each of which is a character from Nintendo's Mario series, in small go-karts, on tracks set in the Mario universe. Power-ups, strewn across each track, aid the bearer or hinder their opponents, as well as coins; the coins increase the player's top speed.

Tracks

Mario Kart: Super Circuit features 20 original race tracks, as well as 20 from Super Mario Kart. Each set of tracks is organized into 5 cups of 4 tracks: the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Lightning Cup (which debuted in this game), the Star Cup and the Special Cup. Many of the tracks included in Super Circuit are Mario Kart staples including Mario Circuit and Rainbow Road, the final race of the Special Cup in every Mario Kart.

Single-player

Mario GP

The main mode in the game. The player races in a series of "Grand Prix" competitions (Cups), against seven computer-controlled competitors. Each Cup consists of four three-lap races. Each Cup may be approached at a 50 cc, 100 cc or 150 cc speed, which determines the speed of the race.

In the start of the race, Lakitu shows a stoplight. Like previous Mario Kart games, players use items to disable other players. Shells can knock out a player; bananas will cause players to skid. Mushrooms temporarily boost speed (and if the player uses a mushroom just before a jump on any track, except Bowser's Castle, they will fly further and faster). Each racer's finishing position in each race determines the number of points he or she receives, and at the end, the player with the most points wins. If the player finishes in fifth place or lower on any given race, he or she loses a life and must restart. The player may also choose to restart a race at any time, at the cost of a life. Upon losing their allocation of three lives in each Cup, however, the player loses and is ejected from the competition.

Extra

The cups and tracks from Super Mario Kart for the SNES are available in Super Circuit. They have been retitled the Extra Cups. These cups are unlockable by winning a Gold Trophy for the corresponding regular cup and then collecting 100 coins in the same cup.

Each race in an Extra cup consists of five laps. The track arrangement has changed due to the number of cups. In Super Mario Kart, there were four cups with five tracks each; in the Extra cups, there are five cups with four tracks each.

Unlocked tracks (Special and Extra Cups) are only available at the speed they were unlocked with. For example, obtaining a Gold trophy in each of the first four Cups at 50 cc unlocks the Special Cup at 50 cc, but not 100 cc or 150 cc. Time Trial mode for the Extra cups is unlocked when the player unlocks 150 cc.

These tracks are not exact replicas of the original courses. Many hazards have been removed, such as flashing Thwomps from Rainbow Road. The Super Circuit backgrounds are superimposed on the Extra Cup tracks. Some areas and shortcuts on the SNES tracks are now inaccessible or more difficult to reach due to the removal of the feather item from Super Mario Kart.

Time Trial

In Time Trial, the player choose any of the tracks they unlocked on Mario GP 150cc. and race for the best record. The player will start with 3 mushrooms, which can use during the race.

Quick Run

The player may choose any unlocked track, from any cup and any speed, and race against seven opponents as in Mario GP mode. The number of laps may be changed between three or five, and the coins and items can be toggled on or off. This feature can also be used to practice for the Mario GP. It is essentially a VS Mode where settings can be modified, though it is not an official VS Mode.

Multiplayer

Mario Kart: Super Circuit screenshot with (L-R) Bowser, Yoshi, DK and Wario on Peach Circuit

Link It Up! mode

Mario Kart: Super Circuit was one of the few Game Boy Advance titles to use the Link It Up! mode of the Game Boy Advance. Using a Game Boy Advance link cable, up to four Game Boy Advance units can be linked together and the game can be played with multiple players using only one copy of the game. Due to the memory limitations of the Game Boy Advance, only the first four tracks from Super Mario Kart are selectable and all four players' characters are different-colored Yoshis.

Mario GP

Up to two players may progress in this mode. It works identically to the single-player Mario GP, except that there are two human players and six computer-controlled ones.

VS.

Similar to single-player Quick Run mode, with two to four human players, and no computer-controlled ones.

Battle

Two to four players are placed in specially designed battle arenas, strewn with power-ups. Each player has three balloons attached to their kart, and each time he or she takes a successful hit (from an offensive item or aggressive ramming), he or she loses one. Upon losing the last, he or she is taken out of the game and in three-four players game, turned into walking bombs that explode when they come in contact with other players. The last player standing wins.

Just as in the previous installment, Mario Kart 64, defeated players turn into Bob-Ombs. As long as there are two players still standing, those who had already lost have the opportunity of driving around to help destroy the remaining players' balloons by simply running into them.

Ghost trade

Up to two of the player's "ghost car" saves may be copied to another player, and up to two received in return. These may then be raced against in Time Trial mode or viewed as replays as though they were the player's own. This may be useful in attempting to better a friend's best time at a given track or to show off a player's skill.

Characters

There are eight characters in this game. The cast is made up of the same characters from Mario Kart 64 (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Wario and Toad). Each has a specific weight and acceleration rate. In multiplayer mode, players who do not own Super Circuit become Yoshi, and are colored to differentiate between several players. According to this game, Peach was classified as lighter than Yoshi and Bowser was classified heavier than Donkey Kong, although most Mario games classify Peach being heavier than Yoshi while Bowser is lighter than Donkey Kong.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	92%[2]
Metacritic	93 of 100[3]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Edge	9 of 10[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	8.5 of 10[2]
Eurogamer	9 of 10[5]
Game Informer	9.5 of 10[2]
GamePro	5 of 5[2]
GameSpot	8.2 of 10[6]
GameSpy	96 of 100[7]
IGN	9.5 of 10[8]
Nintendo Power	4.5 of 5[2]
Awards IGN Editors' Choice Award[9]

Mario Kart: Super Circuit was well-received by the press and public alike once it was released. People who were frustrated with Nintendo's policy of remaking older games for the GBA were pleasantly surprised that not only had Nintendo released a brand new Mario Kart game, but that all of the courses from Super Mario Kart had been included instead of being released as a separate port.

In 2007, IGN named Super Circuit as the 19th best game on the Game Boy Advance.^[10]

Mario Kart: Super Circuit has sold over 2.53 million in the United States alone, thus placing it onto Nintendo's Player's Choice list.^[11][12]

Limited re-release

On July 28, 2011, Nintendo announced that Mario Kart: Super Circuit, as well as nine other Game Boy Advance games, will be available to limited Nintendo 3DS owners, via Virtual Console, to whom will participate in an upcoming Ambassador program after Nintendo officially issues a price-cut to the Nintendo 3DS starting August 12, 2011. This offer is available in all territories, and only to those who became eligible in the Ambassador program (by accessing the Nintendo eShop before the date of the price-cut). Nintendo currently has no plans to release this game, or any other Game Boy Advance game, to the general public in paid form.^[13]

References

1. ^ Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd.. Mario Kart: Super Circuit. (Nintendo of America, Inc.). Scene: staff credits. (11 August 2001)
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Mario Kart Super Circuit Reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/371318-mario-kart-super-circuit/index.html. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
3. ^ "Mario Kart Super Circuit (gba: 2001): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/mario-kart-super-circuit. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
4. ^ "Edge Online: Search Results:". Edge. http://www.edge-online.co.uk/edgedb/search.php. Retrieved 2008-04-28. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ Bramwell, Tom (2001-09-27). "Mario Kart: Super Circuit Review // GBA /// Eurogamer". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_mksc_gba. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
6. ^ Ajami, Amer (2001-08-27). "Mario Kart Super Circuit for Game Boy Advance Review - Game Boy Advance Mario Kart Super Circuit Review". Gamespot. http://www.gamespot.com/gba/driving/mariokartsupercircuit/review.html. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
7. ^ Bub, Andrew. "GameSpy.com — Reviews: Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)". Gamespy. pp. 1–2. http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/september01/mariokart/. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
8. ^ Harris, Craig (2001-08-29). "IGN: Mario Kart Super Circuit Review". IGN.com. http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/165/165249p1.html. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
9. ^ "IGN Editors' Choice Games". IGN.com. http://gameboy.ign.com/index/choice.html. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
10. ^ Harris, Craig. "Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games of All Time". IGN. March 25, 2007. Accessed April 11, 2008.
11. ^ "The Magic Box — US Platinum Chart Games.". The Magic Box. 2007-12-27. http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
12. ^ Harris, Craig (2006-07-27). "IGN: Player's Choice, Round Two". IGN.com. http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/721/721379p1.html. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
13. ^ http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2011/07/faq_nintendo_ambassador_program_and_free_eshop_games

External links

• Official Site
• MKSC Time Trial Players Page
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)
• Mario Kart Super Circuit at GameFAQs